Singer-songwriter Chris Hutton is all passion, musicality, and infectious energy. His new song 'OXYGEN' and accompanying music video released July 22 is just Part I of a concept project about moving from darkness to light, pain to promise, and loneliness to love. 'OXYGEN' expresses a cautious desire to take a new risk and start moving into the light. Part one is the inhale before the exhale - the tension before the release.' The artist recalls the process of creating the song and the music video:
“'OXYGEN' was the song I never pictured myself writing. I remember I had some ideas for a song that had an up-tempo rock vibe almost a year ago, and it just didn’t feel right. Months later, I remembered the melody, and wondered what would happen if I slowed it down and made it more breathy and intimate. I started writing new lyrics, still not sure if I would finish it. Then I started playing around on my keyboard, and found the staccato pluck patch that you hear throughout the song – I loved the sound and the chords so much that I laid down a loop and immediately started recording vocals on top of it. I wanted do something special for the bridge, and because I don’t have a ton of other instruments or equipment, I thought: “why not just add vocal layers until kingdom come and see what happens?” I laid down several vocal ideas, again unsure if I would use any of them.
Then life happened, and I had to focus on finishing up college, so I left it incomplete and forgot about it again. After graduation, I remembered the song and revisited it. I was shocked at how good it sounded – it felt a lot closer to finished than I had remembered leaving it. After putting on some finishing touches, I sent it to Adam my producer and he added some really subtle drum programming that just took it to the next level. Now, it’s hard to believe that I almost didn’t finish it, but I’m so glad I did. It’s one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written.
I don’t usually relate sounds and colors, but when I finished the song, for some reason all I could see was blue. And, I’ve always wanted to do a video covered in paint, don’t ask me why. I connected with Jacqui Casey, and she brought this beautiful vision of interweaving a story with a performance – as you see the relationship progress, the video’s color saturation steadily increases, and the version of me that’s singing the song becomes more and more blue – until the fight. Then everything goes back to black and white. I love what we came up with because it’s not a simple fairy tale – it shows that conflict is a natural part of love, and that sometimes healing is painful, but that doesn’t mean it’s not good. I also love the ambiguity she placed in the final scene where the performance and the story intertwine, and the girl vanishes after the final kiss. Was any of it real? That’s for the viewer to decide.
WATCH 'OXYGEN' NOW
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE RELEASE OF CHRIS HUTTON'S FULL EP
AUGUST 17TH
'OXYGEN' Credits
Music video: Starring: Chris Hutton & Abigail Reno. Directed by: Jacqui Casey. Assistant Director: Bryan Kelly. Director of Photography: Spencer Saltzman. Assistant Camera: Michael Merchan. Gaffer: Louie Greenwald & Matt Johnson. BTS: Sam Garcia.
Song: 'OXYGEN' written and performed by Chris Hutton produced by Chris Hutton and Adam Watts.
About Chris Hutton
Los Angeles based singer-songwriter Chris Hutton’s music is a sophisticated blend of raw emotion and meticulous musicianship. Deeply personal lyrics and performances are set against a buoyant pop aesthetic to create a sound that A&R Factory describes as “tangibly magnetic”.
About InRage Entertainment
InRage Entertainment is a family of multi-genre artists in Los Angeles, California.
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